By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The Seoul Metropolitan Government Wednesday began to dismantle the Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium, which will be replaced by Dongdaemun Design Park and Plaza. However, the demolition work met with strong protests from hundreds of street vendors who have used the site for years.
The removal of the nation's first modern sport stadium and the construction of a new park and plaza is part of the city government's plans to have new iconic structures in the capital.
Builders had clashes with street vendors and five were injured ― one of them, aged 60, had a severe injury to his eye.
From the early morning, hundreds of vendors blocked the main gates to the stadium with vehicles. Beginning around 1 a.m., the clash continued until 6 a.m. when 500 construction workers broke down the gates and entered the stadium.
The stadium was built in 1926 under Japanese colonial rule and it has since served as a popular venue for sports events, mainly high school baseball.
The city government plans to transform it into a large park with design facilities to help the district specialize in fashion, as it does now with an array of shopping malls and markets.